How to use your patient care coordinator (PCC) to get rid of unwanted patients.

Have you ever had a heart-sink patient join your practice? 

You know that patient, who when you see their name on your list your heart and mood sinks, you don’t bring the best out in them and they bring out the worst side of you. Appointments often become stressful and treatment never seems to run smoothly.

For many practices patients are heart sink patients because their values, ethos and expectations about you your practice and team are out of kilter with your values and ethos. For example, you may be passionate about developing long term relationships with patients working together saving teeth and creating health beautiful mouths, and you have a heart sink patient who only turns up once in a blue-moon and wants extractions on demand.

Your practice may be focused on minimally invasive dentistry with a strong emphasis on education and prevention and yet you have a patient who has made it clear that they have no interest in brushing their teeth twice daily, let alone flossing and they are determined to continue to eat a sugar rich diet and they ‘just’ want you to fix their teeth. They do not believe that the health of their teeth and gums is their responsibility.

You may have a patient who has a high caries and perio incidence and wants ear to ear veneers within the month and does not want to listen to any advice on disease stabilization.

Alternatively, the patient may have a cavalier attitude to time keeping, attending appointments, paying bills on time, and treating your team and colleagues with respect and dignity

You get the picture.

When practices and patient have divergent attitudes and philosophies to dental care and treatment, it can lead to strained relationships, complaints or solicitor’s letters.

Your Patient Care Coordinator (PCC) has a vital role to play in preventing these stressful situations.

Routinely offering all new patients a complimentary appointment with a PCC prior to an examination with the dentist, allows your PCC to discover and discuss your patient’s health belief model and their anticipated outcomes for treatment long and short term. Your PCC will also be able to share the values, ethos and philosophy of your practice and what that means in terms of patient care and treatment.

If there is a wide divide in expectations, your PCC can suggest to the patient that your practice is probably not going to best serve their needs and expectations and suggest another practice that is more appropriate for them.

Providing this service, the patient has not wasted any money, they will have had an exceptional level of service and moving forward there will be space in your appointment book for those patients who have the same philosophy to dentistry as you and want to be part of your practice.

For more information about introducing a Patient Care Coordinator to your practice call us today on 07989 757 884